Dispension-gasket.



FRANK H. lanas, Ja., or NEW Yoan, N. Y.

nIsPERsIoN-GASKET.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK H. BERG, Jr., a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dispersion-Gaskets;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it ap-A pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in internaly combustion engines,and more particularly to means for confining combustion therein. j

.The primary object in view is the dispersion of the4 flame of anexplosion for preventing exit thereof from the cylinder of an internalcombustion engine.

Further objects in view are the avoidance of ignition of the fuelsupply, and avoidance of discharge of dangerous gases, and alsoavoidance of explosion within a muffler employed in conjunction with aninternal combustion engine.

With these and further objects in view, as will in part become apparentand in part be stated, the invention comprises certain novelconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as will behereinafter specied and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,- y

Figure l is a top plan of a gasket embodying the features of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 iis a transverse section therethrough, the gasket beingillustrated as applied to the intake of an engine.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same as applied to the exhaust of anengine.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a fragment of a web woven for the production ofa series of gaskets similar to that seen in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, l indicates the body of a gasketwhich is preferably formed of asbestos or mineral wool. In the preferredform, the body is woven strands of asbestos or mineral wool sustainedand afforded tensile strength by interposed strands of wire, thecrossing warp and weft producing an embedded wire mesh 2, and the wholeforming a sheet of fabric 3. The said sheet is preferably provided withan interilling of graphite or pigment, such as red orwhite lead,shellac, wood or paper pulp, so as to form a substantially solid,comparatively thin, exible and somewhat 'ternal combustion engine.

j Specification of Letters Patentc- Patented (het. 15, `1918.Application filed Dctober 14, 1913. Serial No. 795,173. I i

pliable sheet. The gasket l `is cut from the l' sheet according to thelayfout indicated in dotted lines vin Fig. 4 so as to avoid undue Wasteand at the same time to cause the several strands of wire forming themesh -to extend obliquelygto the longitudinal axis of the gasket. In thecourse of the weaving, by the employment of appropriate jacquardmechanism, the sheet 3 maybe formedwith apertures 4 in the fibrousmaterial, one aperture being formed for each gasket, or inlieu in arianepara einen.

thereof the sheet 3 may bewoven continuously and in an imperfect form,and thereafter'the apertures 4 may be formed by cutting away the fibrousmaterial and picking y or blowing the particles thereof from between themesh of the screen 2, so that in either event, when the fabric iscompleted, screen 2 will beexposed across each aperture 4. The completedgasket 1 is thus provided with an embedded wire mesh ina pliable,substantially fire-proof body with a portion exposed sulicient toprovide a screen adapted -to span the given opening of anin- Thediagonal or oblique disposition of the wires, while tendlng to attenuatehydrocarbon fuel, affords the maximum passageway in a `given y'areawhile "offering the requisite obstruction vto the passage of a flame foreffectively stopping the same.

In the weaving of the sheet 3 according'to the preferred method, threestrands are employed for eachv warp and each weft thread, there being anupper and a lower strand of asbestos or other fibrous, preferablynoncombustible, substance and an intermediate strand 'of wire, and aweaving is carried on in the usual manner with. an appropriate jacquardmechanism, with the loose strands of librous'matter being thus bound inand l stilfened by the wire, and the wire at the same time being formedinto a centrally embedded screen. The jacquard is adjusted to cause theupper strands of fibrous material to be woven ,into a separate,independent sheet above the wire mesh at the points where apertures 4are to'appear, and the lower strands of brous material are similarlywoven at the same points into a separate fabric beneath the wire meshwith the wire mesh vbetween the upper and lower fabric and disconnectedtherefrom at said points, the upper and lower strands of fibrousmaterialand the strands of wire being interwoven into a single integralfabric Y* at all other points-throughout the sheet 3.

Thus the exposed fibrous material at the vpoints for apertures 4 arereadily accessible sheet 3 may be woven, but, if desiredpinstead ofwire, a single strand of fibrous Inaterial may be used and wrapped aboutthe wire in a manner completely covering the same, in which event theapertures 4 are formed by cutting and vpicking-or blowing away thefibrous material at those points necessary' ,for producing the apertures4, lcare being exercised in order to remove all particles of fibrousmaterial without injury to the wire for leaving the screen in perfectcondition extending across the respective apertures 4.

The completed gasket 1 is adapted for ap'- plication at various pointsrelative to an internal combustion engine, both for preventing backfiring from the engine into the carbureter, and for preventing the flameof the explosion from discharging through the exhaust with the exhaustgases. l

Obviously the gasket 1 may be applied at various points between thecylinder of an internal combustion engine and its intake and exhaust. Ina multiple cylinder engine one gasket may be applied adjacent eachcylinder at the intake and at the exhaust but preferably onlylone gasketis used for the intake, being disposed between thc earbureter and intakemanifold, as indicated in Fig. 2, wherein the intake manifold 5 isarranged with the gasket 1 applied thereto, and outside of the gasket isdisposed the carbureter 6, a fragment only of the manifold andcarbureter being shown. When it is desired to employ but a single gasketfor the exhaust side of the engine of the multiple cylinder type, thegasket is disposed between the manifold and the exhaust tube kleading tothe muffler, as indicated in Fig. 3 wherein 7 indicates the exhaust endof the exhaust manifold and 8 the exhaust tube. Between the elements 7and 8 is arranged gasket l with its opening 4 registering with the boreof tube 8. Obviously thegasket 1 is adapted for use between thecylinders and the respective branches of the exhaust manifold. In suchevent, the mesh 2 is of a sufficiently coarse gage to allow free escapeof carbon an'd other products of combustion, the mesh,l

however, beingsufiiciently fine `to confine and disperse the flame. Thislocation of the gasket, however, on some engines will be foundundesirable on account of the intensity of the heat.

Gasket l may also be placed just in advance of the muffler and at thecut-out, or elsewhere in the exhaust.

mense@ Employment of the improved gasket eec-v tively confines thecombustion in the cylinder, prevents ignition ofthe fuel supply, anddischarge of dangerous gases, and eliminates the possibility ofexplosions in the muflier.- It also prevents ignition of gases about anautomobile, as in a garage wherethe atmosphere may be more or lesssaturated with hydro-carbon gas. The gage of the wire mesh 2lmay varysomewhat, but for best results,fand to avoid interference with theinflux of fuel, the gage should be as coarse as'possible consistent-withthe function of dispersio of the flame and prevention of penetrat on ofthe mesh thereby. rlhe gage of the wire mesh is preferably ascertainedfor an engine of a given horsepower by testing the mesh with a flameprojected against 'the mesh at a velocity represented by the expansivepower of the charge within the engine, and the coarsest gage 1s employedwhich will effectively -prevent penetration by the flame.

By repeated and thorough tests 1 have demonstrated that the use of thegasket does not in any way interfere with the starting or running of theengine, but instead improves the operation of the engine probablyv dueto the incident attenuation of particles of liquid fuel in passing thescreen 2.

While I' have described as my preferred embodiment the construction ofthe sheet of fibrous .material by weaving the same Vof strands, itshould be apparent that the invention also comprehends the embedding ofthe wire mesh in a body of an appropriately .pliable material, as forinstance 'the ordinary commercial sheet of asbestos. The wire mesh mayalso be applied between two filaments of asbestos or other likeappropriate material while in their original plaslwith bolt receivingapertures, as indicated in said figure, and said apertures may belocated according to the location of the bolts upon the engine to whichthe gasket is to bc applied. The edge contour of the gasket will alsolikewise naturally vary so Vas to conform to the respective engine.

The wire mesh or screen 2 which extends across the opening 4 isvaluable,'in addition to the purposes above set forth, for stifteningand strengthening the gasket as a whole, and particularly for lendinsupport for the edges ofthe fibrous material about aper- 1 When used onthe exhaust side the screen 2 will not only obviate explosions in lthemuffler, but will enable the use vof a mu er unaccompanied by a cut-out.It is common experience that a cut-out is desirable as a sort of reliefvalve in instances of explosions inthe muiier to avoid blowing themutller to pieces, but With the gasket l employed in the exhaust theobviation of the possibility' which is disposed the wire mesh may,-besubstituted in lieu of asbestos, or other like filaments may beemployed so long as the requisite qualities for the purposes intendedappear in the substance used.

What I claim is:

l. The combination of a fibrous gasket for a port of an internalcombustion engine, and a screen embedded in the gac'sket with thematerial of the gasket at opposite sides of the marginal edge portion ofthe screen and with the 4screen extending across the opening of thegasket to control said port.

2. The combination of a fibrous gasket for a port of an internalcombustion engine, and a screen embedded in the material of the gasketwith the material projecting from opposite sides of the marginal edgeportion of the screen to seal the latter at opposite sides about saidport, said screen extending across the opening of the gasket forcontrolling said port.

3. The combinationl of a woven fabric gasket for a port of an internalcombustion engine and a screen extending across the opening of thegasket and having the material of the screen interwoven with thematerial of the fabric beyond the opening.

ln testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK H. BERG, JR.

Witnesses: Y

EDGAR M. KITGHIN, J. E. Guns.

